dawn

/dɔːn/ (bre, ipa) · /dɔːn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈdȯn ˈdän/ (ame, mw) · /dɑːn/ (ame, ipa)

dawn — 名詞

  • dawnsingular
  • dawnsplural

1. the time each morning when the sun's light first becomes visible in the sky, mar

1.名詞B2
釋義

黎明；拂曉

清晨太陽升起前的時段

the time each morning when the sun's light first becomes visible in the sky, marking the start of a new day

例句

Mei-Lin was already awake and watching the sky when dawn began.

天亮時，Mei-Lin 已經醒來看著天空。

The photographers arrived before dawn to capture the sunrise over the valley.

攝影師們在黎明前抵達，捕捉山谷上空的日出。

collocation: before dawn

同義詞
  • daybreak

    less common in everyday speech; slightly more literary

  • sunrise

    focuses on the sun appearing above the horizon rather than the first light

  • first light

    used especially in military or outdoor contexts to mean the earliest visible light

反義詞
  • dusk

    the time when daylight is fading in the evening

  • sunset

    the moment the sun goes below the horizon

用法筆記

Often paired with 'break' in the phrase 'dawn breaks/broke' to describe the moment light first appears. Also common in 'at dawn', 'before dawn', and 'by dawn'.

常見錯誤

❌We woke up at the dawn.
✅We woke up at dawn.
💡No article is used when 'dawn' means the time of early morning light.

2. the starting point of a significant new period in history, technology, culture,

2.名詞C1
釋義

開端；起源

重要新時期或歷史階段的開始

the starting point of a significant new period in history, technology, culture, or human experience

例句

The invention of the printing press marked the dawn of a new age in learning.

印刷術的發明標誌著學習新時代的開端。

pattern: the dawn of [era/age/period]

Many historians see the Industrial Revolution as the dawn of the modern world.

許多歷史學家認為工業革命是現代世界的開端。

同義詞
  • beginning

    neutral register; works for both large and small events

  • birth

    more poetic or dramatic, suggesting a sudden emergence

  • onset

    suggests the start of something unwelcome or challenging

反義詞
  • end

    general opposite

  • decline

    the period of decreasing importance after a peak

用法筆記

Almost always followed by 'of' + a noun phrase referring to a large historical or conceptual period ('dawn of an era', 'dawn of civilisation'). Typically used in formal, literary, or academic writing. Does not refer to small personal beginnings.

常見錯誤

❌The dawn of my new job was exciting.
✅The start of my new job was exciting.
💡'Dawn' in the figurative sense is used for major historical or cultural periods, not personal events.

3. used in the fixed expression 'from dawn to dusk' (or 'from dawn until dusk') to

3.名詞B2
釋義

從早到晚

從清晨到傍晚的整個白天

used in the fixed expression 'from dawn to dusk' (or 'from dawn until dusk') to describe an activity that continues throughout the entire daylight period

例句

During the harvest, the farmers worked from dawn to dusk every day.

收割期間，農民們每天從早到晚不停地工作。

fixed phrase: from dawn to dusk

The construction crew labored from dawn until dusk to finish the bridge on time.

建築工人為了按時完成橋樑，從早到晚不停地趕工。

同義詞

用法筆記

This sense is not a productive independent meaning of 'dawn'. It exists only within the fixed two-part expression 'from dawn to/until dusk'. The phrase cannot be shortened or reordered.

dawn — 動詞